Glimpses
by Heart-Of-Memories
Summary: Maybe they'd never admit it, even to eachother, but both were sure of one thing. These little moments, glimpses of a future they might have with eachother, would be cherished forever. \Series of IchiHitsu Prompts/
1. SS2: Paper Cranes

SS1: Canon, no deviations up until current arc, though filler arcs/episodes and movies are counted as canon.

SS2: Mostly canon; Ichigo and the other returned from Hueco Mundo before the war with Aizen started, and were there during the battle. Not so much of a massacre, and Ichigo goes on to become a doctor in the world of the living after losing his powers, disregarding the Fullbring arc and everything that comes afer.. ["Happy" ending type canon]

SS3: Mostly canon; Ichigo arrives late to the battle with Aizen, and nearly everyone is dead. Though they manage to defeat him, Ichigo is killed and becomes a shinigami while Soul Society falls apart around them due to how many Captains died, Yamamoto included. Disregards the Fullbring arc and everything that comes after.. ["Bad" ending type canon]

SS4: The unofficial "title" for those random one shots that don't fall into a continuum, or those that fall into a timeline all their own but not into one of the above mentioned Soul Societys. If a specific SS is not requested, this is where the request prompts will go. So, expect to see a lot of this one. :3

On that note, however, I've got a request to you, my readers. As you probably undoubtedly know, authors run on reviews, and working authors write stories. I'm no different, but don't mistake this as asking for reviews. What I'm asking for is prompts. Requests for things you'd like to see these two get into. I have a list of over 700 prompt words/sets to play off of, but I still run on your feedback/suggestions. So, please, don't this mondo wall get in the way of submitting a prompt. It will be loved and written no matter where it comes from. I promise. :3

* * *

Title: Wishes

Prompt: Paper Cranes; Ichigo hears about the tradition of paper crane folding and wonders to himself what someone would think is important enough to sit there folding 1000 cranes. He turns to Toushiro to get an explanation and wonders what the little captain would wish for.

SS2; in-relationship

* * *

Rangiku is the one to bring up the topic; Ichigo has come by for a visit on one of Toushiro's off days, but he can't find his boyfriend in any of his frequent haunts, and Rangiku takes pity on the substitute when she seems the utterly broken look in his eyes.

"He's in his quarters. Probably folding cranes, too." At his confused look, she smiles.

"It's a tradition. If you fold one thousand cranes, you can make a wish and it'll come true."

Despite his continued confusion, Ichigo thanks her and heads off to the Squad 10 barracks. Sure enough, Toushiro is seated at a small table in his sleeping quarters, folding squares of paper into intricate patterns. The tiny captain obviously knows Ichigo is just standing in the doorframe and watching him, but he doesn't say a word and they stay in that comfortable silence for a small amount of time until Ichigo steps into the room and sits to watch. The silence is broken for momentary greetings, but it returns not long after it leaves and Ichigo doesn't mind at all. He just moves slowly until Toushiro is sitting in his lap and he's got his arms wrapped around the tiny captain's middle with his head nestled in the snow white spikes he's so fond of ruffling. He watches for a while longer, taking note of all the complex folds and the small, half-healed paper cuts on Toushiro's fingers. Toushiro has taken wounds much worse than this, but for reasons that mean more than this. So Ichigo sighs, not understanding the reason for all this.

"What's worth folding all those cranes?"

He was speaking to himself more than to Toushiro, but the man in his arms just shakes his head, still folding the crane even as he subtly leans into Ichigo's embrace.

"A lot of things can be worth it, Kurosaki. Some wish for peace, or the health of a loved one. Others are more personal." Try as he may, Ichigo can't get Toushiro's wish out of the little captain and he lets the issue drop when Toushiro decides to teach him how to fold the cranes.

The next day, Orihime goes missing and Ichigo chases after her into Hueco Mundo. By the time he sees Toushiro again, things have been shot to hell and he's being forced to hand the tiny captain to a healer before charging after Aizen. He forgets all about cranes and wishes and hopes and peace during that fight, but when Rukia tells him the outcome of the battle, all he wants to do is rush to the Soul Society and hug his boyfriend with all his might and never let go.

But he can't. He's no longer a shinigami and he can't follow her back. He's trapped in his own tiny little world with an aching heart and hands that can't protect anymore. Hands that can't do anything but clench into fists late into the night, remembering holding a tiny body flush to his chest so the little captain could finally rest. For the next six years, Ichigo throws himself into his studies to become a doctor; even if he can't protect, he can heal. He eventually moves out of his father's house and into a flat nearby the hospital, a quiet little place that only his friends and some of his patients know about.

So when one day Ichigo opens his door and finds Toushiro standing there, paper cut hands and all, he can't help but stare. It's like time itself has stopped, and they both stare at one another for what feels like eternity. Toushiro is still as tiny as he always was, with eyes far too wise and tired for a man of his stature, but Ichigo is taller, older, and just maybe a little wiser. The moment is broken when Ichigo grins like a lunatic, sweeping Toushiro up into his arms and spinning him around with reckless abandon. The fact that Toushiro doesn't do much more than offer a token protest and instead wraps his arms around Ichigo's neck to hold on for all he's worth tells Ichigo that something is wrong, but he doesn't rightly care at that moment.

And it's not until after dinner that he actually even thinks to ask. It takes two cups of tea and threats to toss him in a hot bath to get an answer out of his little captain, but when he does, Ichigo is almost pleasantly surprised.

"_A permanent station in Karakura. They want me out of the way for something."_

Maybe it's just an excuse to get rid of him. Maybe it doesn't mean anything at all. But Ichigo really can't bring himself to care. Toushiro is in his arms again, and as he carries him up to bed, Ichigo is too ecstatic to care about anything else. They don't do anything but cuddle and just enjoy being together again that night, too warm and content despite the six year distance that lays between them to do anything other than sleep in each other's arms, but the night has to end eventually and Ichigo eventually wakes to see that Toushiro is already awake. The little captain is leaning up on one elbow, having reached over in the pale morning light to find the worn paper crane that Ichigo has kept there for the years since he was a reckless sixteen year old with a blade and a need to prove himself in one hand and the need to protect in the other. But none of that seems to matter anymore as Toushiro turns, feeling more than seeing that his boyfriend is awake, and he tilts his head to the side.

"You kept this?" Ichigo nods; of course Toushiro recognizes it. It's the first crane Ichigo ever folded under the captain's tutelage. He'd left it in Toushiro's quarters when he'd been called back to the World of the Living, but it had still found its way back to him.

"Yeah. Rangiku-san got it and gave to Rukia, who gave it to me. It got me started on making a wish." Toushiro blinks surprised teal eyes, before he smiles faintly and returns to his place against Ichigo's chest. They lay in a comfortable silence for a long while more before Toushiro speaks again.

"What did you wish for?"

"For this. To see you and hold you again." He hadn't spent sleepless nights just lying in bed; he'd studied and stuffed his head with knowledge, and then he'd folded cranes. In just over four years, he had enough to make his wish. So it had taken two more years for it to come true. He didn't care now, and as Toushiro smiles that smile he'd saved for only when he and Ichigo were alone, there's only one question left on his mind.

"What about you, Toushiro? What was your wish?"

"You."


	2. SS1: Dialogue

From: SillyWQ

Prompt: Dialogue

SS1; during relationship, Hell Verse movie.

* * *

Toushiro didn't even have to look at his phone to know who was calling that night. He'd been expecting it for hours, so it was no surprise to see Ichigo's number on the tiny display as he flipped it open.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd call at all." Ichigo chuckled on the other end of the line, the sound made tinny by the little speaker that could do nothing to hide the tiredness in the human's voice. It had been a rough night for all of them.

"Sorry. Had to make sure Yuzu was alright back home."

"How is she?"

"She'll be fine. Dad said she just needed a lot of rest, but she'll pull through."

"That's good to hear. But you didn't call me just to tell me Yuzu would be alright, did you?" Again, Ichigo chuckled while Toushiro frowned. Oh, he knew why Ichigo was calling. There was no other reason for it at this late hour.

"Yeah. I need you to let me back through the gates. I can't leave Rukia back there."

"Ichigo…"

"Hey, you know I wouldn't stop you if it was Momo back there!" Toushiro flinched, grip tightening on his phone. Ichigo was right, of course, but that wasn't going to make this right. It wasn't going to solve everything.

"I know that. But you also know that I can't just let you through without questions." On the other end, Ichigo sighed and nearly dissolved the line into static. He'd probably known that's what Toushiro would have said from the start, but…

"…Yeah, I know. I just…thought I'd ask. Figured it couldn't hurt." Now it was Toushiro's turn to sigh, scrubbing at his face with his free hand. If it was up to him, he'd have let Ichigo through the gates with no questions asked. But it wasn't up to him, so-

"Toushiro?"

"….Yeah?"

"I love you." Before Toushiro could respond, the line went dead and the little captain was left to stare at his phone like it just bit him. Ichigo was prone to saying those three words a lot, but never in a tone like that. Never in a tone that sent shivers down the ice-wielder's spine.

Never in a tone that made it sound like Ichigo was preparing to die.

* * *

Barely an hour later, Ichigo stood before the Shinigami that guarded the gates to hell. The look on his face promised pain for anyone who stood in his way, but his eyes softened as they landed on his boyfriend. Toushiro narrowed his eyes in turn, but then sighed and dipped his head. Ukitake, to his credit, didn't seem the slightest bit surprised as Toushiro ordered the others to stand down and let the substitute pass without a word. But when the young Captain turned to his elder and asked why he hadn't been stopped, Ukitake only canted his head and smiled as if that was answer enough.

"Because I overheard you talking. You would never have stopped him, Captain Hitsugaya. Why should any of us have stopped you from helping someone you love?"

Toushiro didn't answer that question even after Ichigo returned with Rukia. He still hadn't answered it when Ichigo carried them both back to the Kurosaki clinic for a good night's rest, but he doubted that Ukitake would truly mind not getting an answer. Not for a question that, no matter who it was asked by, would never need an answer.

This was meant to be an experiment in writing a dialogue based prompt, but damn did it get away from me.

* * *

On that note, another note! I fully intend to update this thing with at least one prompt a week, quite possibly more, until we reach at least 100. Those 700 prompts/sets to play off…well, a lot of them will get joined together. :3 so keep sending in your ideas~ I'm always open.


	3. Request: SS4: Again

From xTKx

Prompt: Again

SS4; Established relationship

* * *

It's something they've talked about before: death now that both are Shinigami. Reincarnation in The World of the Living isn't a sure thing, and Toushiro has to make sure that Ichigo understands that. Their jobs aren't the safest thing, what with both being high ranking Captains, and there's _always_ the chance that either or both won't come home. But none of those talks can prepare Ichigo for what happens that night, and he screams his throat raw after Toushiro dies in his arms with only his wedding band left behind. He doesn't talk for days, leaving his Lieutenant to run the Division as the days turn to weeks. It's only when Rukia tries to drag him out of his quarters that he remembers.

"What if he comes back, Ichigo! Do you think he'd want to know you did this for weeks?"

Reincarnation. Never proven, but always there at the back of their minds. It's a glimmer of hope in Ichigo's eyes, and he has to beg Head Captain Yamamoto for hours in order to get the permission to go and search for Toushiro. Those few hours feel like eternity, but he does get it and he's gone without saying any goodbyes. He searches high and low throughout the towns of Japan, going so far as to go into some of the more remote areas, but it's months before Ichigo finds him. He's Daisuke here, the six month old only child of two loving parents with a doting grandmother who can see Ichigo even though he didn't take a Gigai.

She also has a temper, and a string of Buddhist beads that she isn't afraid to lash around like a whip when she sees him sitting near Toushiro's crib, and its a few tense moments before Ichigo can calm her down and swear that he means her grandson and his family no harm. She still doesn't trust him, however, and Ichigo explains why he's here. It takes the old lady three cups of tea and something that smells suspiciously like sake to get through his blunt and all-together lacking explanation, but her eyes are kind as she reaches forward to lift his chin from where it fell to his chest as he'd struggled to tell her what had been the end of them.

"And what if he does not remember you, Shinigami-san? Will you leave him to live a normal life?" Ichigo immediately shakes his head. He'd be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind, but he really doesn't care. This matters too much.

"Even if he doesn't remember…I'll stay here to protect him. I promise." The old lady smiles and says nothing to him after that, only greeting him with barely perceptible nods and waves as the days pass. Ichigo stays, never going far from the tiny house as Toushiro grows up under the watchful eyes of his parents, doting grandmother, and over-protective Shinigami who sends the monsters under his bed away every night. By the time Toushiro's turned five, Ichigo is a constant presence in his life, always just over his shoulder even if he's not needed, and always there to kill the monsters or cause a good blast of wind to scare a stupidly stubborn bully who just won't listen to reason or familiar glares from a too short pre-teen who can see spirits.

But then Toushiro's human grandmother dies when he's fifteen, and things fall into chaos. His parents argue all the time, threatening to split up and move to different cities, and there's nothing Ichigo can do to defend Toushiro against that kind of monster. He just sits with his charge, often late into the night as the fights get louder and louder, and holds his hand. It reminds Ichigo of nights back in the Soul Society when neither could sleep but didn't feel like talking, and they'd just hold on to one another. It makes Ichigo smile nostalgically, and one night Toushiro finally speaks.

"Who are you? You've always been here, but I don't even know your name." Ichigo just shakes his head, smiling fondly at his teenage charge.

"Just someone who cares. Don't let it bug you." Toushiro frowns at the answer that isn't an answer, but lets the matter drop for now.

He doesn't bring it up again because he dies the next day, in a bus crash that kills everyone aboard and though Ichigo performs a konso on every single soul he can find, there's no trace of Toushiro anywhere. So he goes to Urahara, begs using the last of his favors with the ex-Captain, and finds that there's no sign of Toushiro in the Soul Society or World of the Living. Ichigo practically breaks then, and for years he just wanders around Japan, barely having any sort of reason to keep existing. He spends almost thirty years that way, only kept alive by the intervention of his Hollow and the odd shinigami that takes pity on him as he passes through their district. He's as much a ghost as the Pluses he used to help cross over, only he's got nothing to go to on the other side.

* * *

Not until one balmy summer night, when a familiar flare in the bustling city of Tokyo causes Ichigo to wake from his stupor. He rushes to its source and finds a ten year old boy with familiar eyes picking himself up off the ground, slowly climbing back into a rumpled hospital bed. There are no nurses coming to respond to the blaring monitors, and Ichigo has half a mind to go out and knock some things over to get their attention, but before he can even turn around, the boy calls out to him and he freezes.

"Are you an angel?" With his long and unkempt hair Ichigo probably could pass for a girl from behind, but Toushiro doesn't seem surprised when Ichigo turns back around and shakes his head. He just sighs, trying to find the leverage to get back into his bed before Ichigo walks over, lifting him back up and tucking him under the blankets. The tiny boy blinks, then seems to pout as he gives his thanks, making Ichigo remember the numerous times he'd had to help Toushiro back into a Fourth Division bed after a fight gone south, and he smiles sadly at the memory. The boy in the bed tilts his head, reaching up to tug on a lock of Ichigo's hair.

"If you're not an angel, then why are you here?" As he searches for the words, Ichigo looks around the room. There are enough medications in here to pass for a pharmacy, and something in the back of Ichigo's mind remembers their names. They're all for some terminal illness he's since forgotten the name of, and Ichigo feels his world crack and split again as he looks back at the child waiting for his answer. He's too young, all bones and sharp edges with dark hair, but the eyes are the same sharp teal that Ichigo would know anywhere. Something Ichigo's given up on naming tugs on his heart, hard, and he has to find a chair before he can speak, voice rasping from disuse.

"…I'm looking for someone." The sad look on his face obviously got worse, because the boy only snorts and rolls his eyes.

"Idiot. Would this someone want you act like this?" Ichigo can't answer, and all he can do is shake his head. No. Toushiro would have called him an idiot for doing this, but what else can Ichigo do? They'd promised after all, which is just a tiny part of why Ichigo stays by the boy's bedside for the entire night, just holding that tiny hand in both of his as it slowly grows colder. Ichigo knows the stakes from when he studied to be a doctor: there'll have to be a miracle for Toushiro to recover this late in the development of the disease.

There's no miracle. Toushiro's body gives out to the illness before dawn that morning, and again Ichigo is left to try and pick up the pieces. This goes on for decades, for what feels like forever, and each time there's nothing Ichigo can do to keep Toushiro alive. There's nothing he can do to stop the endless cycle of death and rebirth and it hurts like hell. He's supposed to be a guardian, a protector, and there's nothing he can do to live up to either title. He's ready and willing to die, to just give up the ghost and let it all end, but then he looks down at his hand where both his and Toushiro's wedding bands rest on his ring finger, and he remembers what they stand for. To always love each other. To always trust one another. To always be with one another. To always, no matter the distance, find a way back to one another. There's no way Ichigo's giving on that now.

* * *

But by the tenth time, so long after the first that he's forgotten how long it's been, Ichigo's gone rogue. The Soul Society can rot for all he cares; he just wants to keep Toushiro safe so he doesn't die before it's his time again, even if the icy former Captain never remembers him or what they used to be. So he keeps his distance, always watching over his love but staying out of range unless he's needed. He's taken to wearing both wedding bands on a chain that has the tendency to let them fall over his heart, warming him through every lonely night. There are a lot of those, especially since this time, Toushiro doesn't really need him. He was born into a family that fought against Hollows and other spirits, and had more than enough access to powers that remind Ichigo of soaring with Hyourinmaru to defend himself. He has his actual name and at least some of his skills with a blade and allies that he trusts with his back. He has no need for Ichigo and the former shinigami is fine with that.

He's fine with watching Toushiro grow up into a fine young man who fights back all the lingering darkness in his sleepy little town, and he's fine with keeping his distance. At least, that's what Ichigo tells himself. In truth, he's nowhere near fine with it. He wants to get close again, to fight alongside the icy swordsman again, to hold him in his arms again. But he knows the chances of that happening are nearly non-existent, so he stays away. He holds himself back until one rainy day when the Hollows are thick as the rain, and Toushiro is fighting alone by the river. He's a good fighter, but he's one person against thirty Hollows and Ichigo has sworn to never let his love come to harm again. So he rushes into the fray and it's like old times again. Though he's surprised to see backup, Toushiro quickly adjusts to fighting alongside Ichigo and the Hollows don't stand a chance against them both.

To Ichigo, it's like old times. Fighting with the man who'd become his best friend, then his boyfriend, then his husband, had led him to know Toushiro's fighting style by heart. He knows where to move to cover weak points, knows how to move to stay warm, and knows when the battle is over. What he doesn't know how to deal with, however, is the odd look in Toushiro's eyes. It's confusion and something else, but Ichigo has no time to decipher it before he has to shove Toushiro out of the way to save him from getting hit in the back by a surviving Hollow. Ichigo finally lives up to his name again and takes the hit, falling to the ground in what feels like slow motion, before something breaks through the fog just as he crashes into the muddy ground.

"Kurosaki!" Through the pain, Ichigo briefly wonders when he ever told Toushiro his name this time. He'd stopped doing that after the fifth time; started becoming a faceless protector by the seventh, and now he's going to finally die during the tenth. It's fitting, really, to die under the number that Toushiro used to command.

But then there's a rush of cold that shocks him awake and chases off death, and Ichigo feels his back arch off the ground in time to see Toushiro leaning over him, practically straddling his waist in order to stare the fallen shinigami in the eye and still stop the bleeding chest wound said idiot had taken in his defense.

"Idiot! Do you know how long I've been looking for you!" Ichigo can only stare, eyes wide and breath catching in his chest, and Toushiro takes advantage of his shocked silence to press both tiny hands down on the bleeding wound. Ichigo doesn't feel the pain, too focused on the look in those teal eyes. In all their years. Ichigo had never seen Toushiro break down. Get angry or sad, yes. But never look like this; like his entire world was about to fall apart underneath him. Ichigo hates that look on his little dragon, and he slowly raises one hand to put it on the pale cheek above him. Toushiro meets his eyes again, knowing who Ichigo is, and something like a sob comes out of the stricken shinigami.

"I thought…I thought I'd never see you again." Toushiro shakes his head, leaning forward to put all his weight into stopping the bleeding with his body instead of just his hands, and that has the effect of putting his head right in the crook of Ichigo's neck as he speaks.

"Don't be stupid. I'm always with you."

At this point, with Toushiro's head buried into the crook of his neck, Ichigo doesn't care if he cries. He's finally got his love back in his arms, and things are okay again.

Things are finally, finally, after all this time, okay again.

* * *

At least slightly inspired by Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. What can I say? Good anime was good. :3


	4. Various: Drabble Set 1

Prompters: SillyWQ and xTKx

Prompts: Various

Settings: Various

* * *

**Dead tomorrow:**

Aizen's sudden attack on the Seireitei had caught everyone off guard, but none more so then Ichigo. While the shinigami had been wary and ready for their former Fifth Division member to strike at any moment, the substitute had expected time to train. Time to prepare for a war that might end everything he'd ever known. Time to spend with the man he'd fallen in love with over the past few months.

But there was no time. There was no time, and there was no warning. Aizen swept his way through the half-asleep shinigami in the middle of the night, killing many and capturing few. Among those few were Ichigo and Toushiro themselves, both of them battered and bruised from the fights with the Arrancar they'd gone up against. The fights had been so exhausting that when the higher-ranking Espada came at them both, there was no chance for them to fight back and get away. That was how they found themselves in Hueco Mundo after being dragged, kicking and struggling, through a Garganta. Restraints and power limiters kept either from so much as flaring their Reiatsu, and Ichigo could only grit his teeth and watch as Aizen entered the room they'd been dumped in, an Arrancar with pink hair directly behind him. Moments later, when Grimmjow entered the room with Orihime held captive over one shoulder, Toushiro had to throw himself onto Ichigo to keep the substitute from doing anything rash.

But that all changes in the minutes that follow. Ichigo doesn't hear Aizen's terms; all he hears is Toushiro's surprised grunt as his legs give out beneath him and he crashed to his knees. The pink-haired Arrancar has a smirk on his face as Aizen continues to speak, but Ichigo can't understand the words. It's as if the former Shinigami is speaking another language while Toushiro begins to cough up blood, and Ichigo feels his heart stop. He can't do anything but watch with his hands tied like this, no matter how hard he tries to get free and get to Toushiro's side.

Ichigo isn't screaming, and neither is Toushiro. He doesn't scream. He doesn't cry out or groan in pain. He just curled in on himself, head on the white ground as he coughed, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to breathe through the pain. Ichigo can only watch and vaguely hear Orihime screaming before her words puncture his stupor. Lungs. Heart. The killing blow that had to stop or none of them would live to see tomorrow.

"Stop! Just stop it! I'll do what you want!"

"Kurosaki…don't…" Toushiro can't say anything more, too focused on ignoring the pain that had to be sweeping through him to do much more than try to breathe as Ichigo fisted his hands into his hakama and tried to swallow the bile in his throat. Even Grimmjow, holding Orihime back, had a look of disgust on his face as Aizen lazily waved a hand in Syazel's direction to make him stop, but Ichigo only had eyes for Toushiro, still coughing up blood even though the source of the damage had been stopped.

"…I'll do whatever you want. Just…leave him alone." With a smirk, Aizen turned and swept from the room with Syazel right behind him, leaving Orihime to run forward as soon as Grimmjow let her go, her fairies wreathing Toushiro in their light before Ichigo could lift his head to look the tiny captain in the eye. When he finally could, however, it was with more determination than anything.

"Don't even ask. You know I'd let the world die tomorrow before losing you."

* * *

**Demon: **

Things in Junrinan hadn't changed a bit since Toushiro left as a child, and he'd found some part of himself dreading the trip back even if it was to introduce Ichigo to his beloved Grandmother. Ichigo had interpreted the small tension in Toushiro's shoulders as nerves and had given the captain's small hand a squeeze, but even that comfort couldn't shield the shorter man from the scathing comments from the locals, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes as words like "demon" and "monster" made their way into his ears. He'd opened his mouth to say something back when a particularly nasal woman shrieked and made some kind of warding gesture, but the barely perceptible shake of Toushiro's head caused him to snort instead, walking in stony silence to the home his love had shared with his Grandmother.

That meeting went wonderfully, even by their standards, and Ichigo hadn't seen Toushiro as light-hearted as he'd been with his Grandmother in a very long time. After some incrediblely welcoming talks with Ichigo, she'd somehow managed to convince the substitute to stay the night, and he hadn't been able to refuse, especially knowing what awaited the snowy captain in his arms if they left the house. So they retired to bed not long after the old woman, but it wasn't long after she'd fallen asleep that Ichigo spoke up.

"Why didn't you tell me about those people?" Toushiro sighed against the futon, letting Ichigo pull him in closer before he spoke, voice quiet so as to not wake his Grandmother.

"…Because I was worried you might have believed them." Ichigo made a face, then sighed and shook his head, nestling his chin in the snow colored spikes below him with a smile taking the place of that grimace.

"Are you kidding? You're no demon, Toushiro. You're my dragon."

* * *

**Project: **It took months to complete, but the look on Toushiro's face as Ichigo finally handed him the hand-painted portrait of his adoptive family was worth every hair-tearing and teeth gnashing moment the substitute had gone through: for the first time since the fiasco that the final battle with Aizen had been, the icy Captain had finally smiled again.

* * *

First off, apologies for the delay. It's been a…rather hectic couple weeks and my writing drive died for a bit there. Hence, this thing. Also, a note to my readers: This is…something you may be seeing a lot of. I may have over 700 words/prompt sets to play off of, but not all of them will get written to full, 1000-plus word chapters. As I mentioned earlier, a good majority of them will end getting joined, such as "Explosion" which was prompted by SillyWQ, and "Bomb", which I had in my lists. Others will end up like this; in mini-drabbles or one-sentence fics that are just too short to stand alone.

All that aside, however, I do promise to get this to at least 100 chapters before I declare this story "complete" by FFN standards. :3 Because really, When is a story ever truly complete?


	5. SS3: Rain

Prompt: Rain

SS3; Pre-relationship/Friendship

* * *

It was no secret to those that knew him well enough that Ichigo absolutely _loathed_ rainy days. There were far too many bad memories attached the tears from the sky for him to even like them, especially after the battle with Aizen and his subsequent adjustment to being a full-fledged Shinigami. It had rained when his mother had died when he was a child, it had started to rain as he barely managed to deal the final blow to Aizen before dying, and it had rained for weeks after an accident killed his family and forced him to perform the konsos on them.

But, even among all that sadness and pain, there was a bright spot in the form of one petite Captain that had been there for all those days. After his mother's death, the shinigami that had been on patrol in Karakura Town was Toushiro, and he'd stayed with Ichigo to keep watch until his father could find them. He'd left without saying goodbye, but Ichigo never truly forgot the white-haired figure that had held silent vigil to keep him safe from any further Hollow attacks.

More than a decade later, when he'd woken in the Fourth Division after succumbing to his wounds, it had been Toushiro who'd explained what had happened. It had been Toushiro that had stayed in the face of Ichigo's flaring reiatsu and temper as the former substitute realized just what that meant for him, and it had been Toushiro that stayed even as Ichigo fought to control his Hollow again. It had been Toushiro's voice that shouted the loudest against the remnants of Central 46 when they'd tried to declare him a threat, and it had been Toushiro that threatened the politicians with a slow and icy death if they so much as thought of having anyone remove Ichigo from the protection of the Tenth Division barracks.

It had also been Toushiro in the corner of his vision that terrible day when he made sure his baby sisters and old man passed on peacefully, standing just out of sight but always in range even as the rain poured down around them, causing his hair to droop into his eyes and hiding the hints of concern and sympathy there. They'd gotten a lot closer since then, and Ichigo became a solid presence in the lives of all those who called the Tenth Division home. More than once they'd all crowded to watch him drag either Matsumoto home from a bar or Toushiro from his office, and more than once they'd all watched him and the little Captain spar together. Some of the younger souls working and living there called it a kind of dysfunctional family, and were often the ones to get the most work done so as to not disappoint their orange-haired "second lieutenant".

But today, there was no laughter or awe as they watched over Ichigo while he stood in the gardens, staring up at the overcast sky as the rain poured down all around them. Today there was no Toushiro standing just outside of his range of vision, and there was no warmth to return to. Today was the seventh day since Toushiro and Rangiku had gone out on a mission to hunt down stray Arrancar, and Ichigo was beginning to wonder if he was cursed to lose someone each time it poured. There had been no word since a cut communication two days ago, and Ichigo was truly beginning to wonder if he'd pissed some kind of god off to earn this much pain every time it rained.

Some of the division members were beginning to wonder that as well, having heard things from their drunken lieutenant every now and again, but none of those comments were voiced tonight. Not while many had tried and failed to get Ichigo to come inside before he caught his death of cold. Not even Nanami, a new recruit that Ichigo had taken under his wing, had been able to convince him to come inside. That was something only the Captain could do, they'd learned, so when the little Captain did finally return, dripping wet and obviously unhappy, they'd quickly explained and then gotten out of the way, leaving Toushiro to all but stalk his way down to the gardens. He'd fully intended to lecture Ichigo about standing out in the rain for days, but something he saw made the words clog up in his throat as he caught sight of the former substitute.

Normally, Ichigo's grander stature made him seem almost larger than life to anyone shorter than five feet, and his smile could light up the room he was in no matter how bad things seemed, but today….today he looked less than a ghost. He seemed less than anything he'd been even on previous rainy days. Toushiro could only stare for a few moments before finally recollecting his wits, calling out a single word.

"Kurosaki."

Toushiro watched as Ichigo whirled on his heel, eyes wide as he turned to stare at the little Captain standing just at the entrance to the gardens. He was as soaked as Ichigo and held his right arm at a stiff angle that vaguely reminded Ichigo of a recently set bone, but he was there. He was back, and as Ichigo rushed forward to put his hands on Toushiro's shoulders, he was alive. He was surprised, too, considering that Ichigo choked back a sob and pulled the petite figure into his arms. After the shock, however, Toushiro managed to find his voice.

"…Ichigo?" Ichigo shook his head, still holding Toushiro flush to his chest as if he could protect the little Captain from everything the world was going to throw at them. As if he could protect his friend from the rain that showed no signs of easing. As if he hadn't spent the past hour trying and failing not to cry.

"I hate the rain."


	6. Author's Note: June 2012

People may have noticed by now that things have changed around here. Between "Critics United" and "Literate Union", the climate around FFN has taken a drastic turn for the unfriendly. Accounts have been banned, stories deleted, and people have been driven to tears over what was supposed to be a fun hobby, all because of a bunch of bullies. The issues I have with this are long and lengthy, but I won't take up your time with the details. This is just a statement of fact: I'm leaving FFN behind me. This notice will go up on all my stories, and though they will remain up for as long as possible, any incomplete works will not be updated from this point on.

_However_. This does not mean that they will not have updates at all. I'm leaving FFN behind, not stopping writing. This site has taken a turn for the worst but I will still write, however slowly. Writing my first story is what brought my sister and I together. Writing is what gave me my self-confidence back when I thought I'd lost it all. Writing is, to many people, an escape. A method of coping. I will not let mine be taken from me. On that note, I will not be stopped from writing. No bully is going to take away something that I consider important, and none of you should let that happen, either. Their reasoning, removing stories that break site rules, can be respected up to a point. Their methods cannot. Bullying is never the answer. We are all writers, to some degree, and we are all humans. That demands some modicum of respect, and this is not that. This is bullying, and the only method I know to work with bullies is to turn and walk away until the time comes to fight back. Do not let them take your dreams.

For those who want to keep updated more frequently, all updates to any of my stories will be posted on my tumblr, which can be found at **heart-of-memories(dot)tumblr(dot)com**. They will likely be linked to from a different site with Tumblr just serving as the grounds for which to launch, but it's simpler to keep it that way. Also, older fic may be posted on Tumblr at one point or another. Life needs to settle a little more first.

As you may have noticed, this is a work that's still defined as "in progress" by FFN's system. As such, any updates will be appearing at **endlessink(dot)dreamwidth(dot)org**. This is so anyone can continue to follow my works without needing an account, and so things like this can't happen again. Hopefully I've made it easy enough for you all to continue following my writings at your leisure, because I cherish each and every one of you. Yes, even the flamers. :3

In closing, I suggest everyone who reads this and has an account here find a new place to host their works. There's no telling when things will get worse.

~Heart


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